Chapter 438
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 438
Chapter 438. Unexpected (1)
Even though a moment had passed, there was no sign that the chaos would calm down.
I quietly sighed.
If it were that easy to calm down, the disaster in my previous life would not have happened.
This was one of the reasons why the damage in my previous life was greater than I had expected.
It was because the leaders were injured due to the pride battle between those who had gathered for the meeting.
If they hadn't messed up at the meeting, dozens more people could have been saved.
As I stood there quietly watching them fight among themselves, someone called out to me.
“Master and Master! Why are you just standing there watching? Hurry up and help us fight those thugs!”
I shrugged my shoulders at his words.
“What good will that do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Isn't it better to just watch them fight until they're exhausted and then move in and cut off their heads?”
At my words, everyone stopped moving. They glanced at each other and slowly backed away.
“What? Why are you giving up already? You have to keep fighting. A fight isn't over until it's over, right?”
Everyone coughed at my words.
“We were too reckless.”
“What's the point of wasting our energy here?”
“Let's continue the meeting.”
The discussion began again.
However, they could not reach a conclusion on who should enter first.
This was because their positions were sharply opposed.
I glanced at Elder Gyeongsan. His eyes were growing more and more anxious.
Anyone facing an important decision must be wary of anxiety.
Anxiety can cause you to make unnecessary mistakes.
In my previous life, one of the reasons the Martial Alliance suffered heavy casualties may have been due to Elder Gyeongsan's “mistake.”
And that impatience was surely impatience for results.
The current Sect Leader of the Kongtong Sect was undoubtedly very old.
He was at an age where he could pass away at any moment.
And the faction war between the elders of the Kongtong Sect was reaching its peak over the position of the next Sect Leader.
As I recall, Elder Jing Shan barely survived, but it might have been better if he had died here.
Considering his life after that.
In any case, we cannot waste time here.
We must quickly carry out the emperor's orders and return. We have so much work to do.
Even though Miss Seo Hyang is handling my work for me, I can't leave it all to her.
I raised my hand and asked.
“Is the space inside the sword case small?”
“It's not that small. About five people can fit inside side by side.”
I proposed a compromise based on Elder Gyeongsan's words.
“Then let's do this. The three forces will go in one at a time.”
“One at a time?”
“Yes. Each group will form a line, and the three lines will enter together. That way, each faction will be at the front, in the middle, or at the rear, so there will be no complaints, right?”
“What about the spoils?”
I chuckled at the question from the man in black.
“That will be left to luck.”
“Luck?”
“Yes. Those on the left will take the spoils on the left, and those on the right will take the spoils on the right. The same goes for the center.”
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult member muttered in response to my words.
“So you're leaving it to luck. Then how do you decide who stands where?”
“Isn't there a traditional method?”
“You mean a duel?”
Ah! Really! They're like crazy fighters!
I barely suppressed my complaint that was about to burst out.
To be honest, there was a method called drawing lots, but no matter what, there would be arguments about fairness.
I was annoyed just now, but in this situation, a duel might be the most reliable method.
Suddenly, a good idea came to mind.
“Do you know what grass fighting is?”
“I haven't heard that in a long time. It was a game I used to play with kids when I was young.”
Grass fighting is a children's game.
It involves tying long blades of grass together and pulling on them until the other side breaks.
It was a little strange to hear that from a burly black-clad man. But even the most ruthless black-clad man must have had a pure childhood.
In any case, everyone nodded to show that they knew the game.
“Let's decide our positions with a grass fight.”
“Not a bad idea. I agree.”
“Me too.”
The leaders of each faction decided to participate in the grass fighting.
In other words, it was a single match to determine who had the most pride.
Each of them cut a blade of grass, tied the three blades together, and held their own bundle.
“Begin!”
With my shout, the grass fighting began.
Ooh!
The grass tug-of-war between martial artists was different from that of children.
This was because they protected the grass with their inner arts.
However, they couldn't just use their inner arts indiscriminately.
The grass was very weak.
They couldn't let it break because it couldn't withstand their inner arts.
In other words, it was a competition that could only be won by carefully controlling one's inner arts.
Usually, the higher one's level, the more precise one's ability to control their ki, so this competition was a way to determine who was the best.
What a great way to avoid bloodshed!
“Ugh...”
“Kuh!”
“Haah!”
The leaders of each faction were standing within breathing distance of each other, sweating profusely.
Seeing the three large men concentrating as they held onto the thin grass, I wanted to call a painter to capture the scene.
Those around me watched with bated breath.
They held their breath, afraid that even the slightest sound would break their concentration. How much time had passed?
Thud.
Finally, the first person was eliminated. It was the representative of the Black Dao.
A short time later.
Thud.
Another blade broke, and the final winner was decided.
The winner was Elder Gyeongsan.
The training of the Kongtong Sect, which focused more on inner arts than outer arts, had not been in vain.
“Woo-hoo!”
“We won!”
“Woo-hoo!”
Are they really that excited?
Regardless of their age, everyone from the orthodox sects was cheering loudly.
On the other hand, the Black Daoists who were defeated first were treated like criminals and kept their heads bowed.
“So, which side will you choose, left, right, or center?”
“The center, of course!”
Thus, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult decided to stand on the left side of the Martial Alliance, and the Black Daoists decided to stand on the right side.
“Let's set the date for two days from now!”
“If you break your promise and enter first, we won't let you get away with it!”
“Don't you dare do anything cowardly!”
I watched the scene and laughed to myself.
I wondered what the point of this fight was.
They couldn't get in anyway.
After the meeting, we returned to our camp.
I looked ahead and fell deep in thought.
I didn't expect the Royal Guards to side with the Martial Alliance.
I thought they would build their own independent forces and act on their own.
Thanks to the Master of the camp, I learned the martial arts of the Imperial Palace and was involved in various incidents, working alongside the Royal Guards.
Thanks to that, even if I try to hide my identity as a member of the Royal Guards, they can still guess who I am to some extent.
The emperor must have ordered the Royal Guards to watch over me because of my abilities.
He must have ordered them to make sure that the Royal Guards sent to the camp don't get involved with the Martial Alliance.
The emperor hates the Martial Alliance.
They're annoying him by stepping into areas they shouldn't.
Are you thinking of using this opportunity to find the Martial Alliance's collaborators in the imperial palace?
Hmm... That's a possibility.
Then, I made eye contact with a Master.
It's dinner time.
Tonight's dinner was noodles again, but I enjoyed it.
As expected of a region where noodles are popular, there were many different kinds, which I found interesting.
In the distance, Mister Hae-joon was eating.
After being scolded by me, he must have given up his habit of complaining about food, because he was eating his noodles quietly without saying a word.
I guess living with fifty pounds of metal strapped to your body must make you very hungry.
I intended to make him eat quietly without saying a word, but fortunately, he is eating well.
The only problem is that his wrists are heavy, so the hand holding the chopsticks and the hand holding the noodle bowl are shaking.
Well, that's his problem.
At that moment, two people approached me.
They both looked like Royal Guards.
If they were Royal Guards, they would know who I was.
They were probably here to find out why I was here.
“May we join you?”
“Of course.”
With my permission, they sat down on the rocks next to me.
“It's nice to meet you today. I am Kwon Jik from the Kijuk family.”
“My name is Kwon.”
Judging from his use of the title “Kwon,” he seemed to be hiding his identity as a member of the Royal Guards.
“The Kwon family is famous for its swords, isn't it?”
“Oh! You know about my family.”
“I am currently leading the Yeongseonmin family, but my main occupation is as the Young Master of the Eunhaesang Trading Company. Gyeongju is a place where many precious medicinal herbs grow, so I often visit there. And as members of a trading company that travels to and from Gyeongju, we cannot help but know the Gyeongju Clan.
I continued.
”You are our protectors against the bandits of Gyeongju."
“Hahaha! That's right.”
“You're right.”
Of course, as martial artists, they receive protection money from the Trading Company.
But there was no need to mention that and ruin the mood.
“By the way, aren't you busy with the Trading Company right now? The Eunhae Trading Company must be very busy with the summer season.”
At his words, I let out a sigh.
“As you said, Master, it is a very busy time. However, I couldn't ignore the difficulties my maternal family is facing, so I came here.”
“Oh, I remember, you said your maternal family is from Yeongseonmin, right?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“I stopped by my maternal family's house with a letter from my mother, but a request for help from the Martial Alliance arrived. However, my second maternal uncle is in isolated training, so there was no one else who could lead the reinforcements.”
“That's why you came here.”
“That's right. Although I am a member of the trading company, I have a reputation as a skilled fighter, so they thought that at least I wouldn't be ignored here.”
“You've been through a lot.”
“Anyway, I plan to finish this task as quickly as possible and return.”
“So that's why you did that at the meeting earlier.”
They readily accepted my explanation.
“I apologize if I overstepped my bounds.”
“Not at all. You did well.”
I pushed my empty noodle bowl aside and gave them a clasped hands greeting.
“Anyway, please help me finish this matter quickly so I can return to the Trading Company.”
“Don't worry.”
Glancing at them, it seemed that their suspicions about me had been completely dispelled.
I was glad I brought my maternal uncle's warriors with me.
“By the way, will the Masters also be participating in the sword ceremony in two days?”
“You're asking the obvious.”
That's right.
I'm sorry, but you will not be allowed to participate in the sword ceremony of the Blood Sword Sect.
.
.
.
That night.
I quietly got up from my bed.
Then, Seo Woo and Jin Yu, whom I had told in advance, also quietly got up from their beds.
It was a good idea to choose beds right in front of the entrance.
I chose this place so that I could come and go secretly.
However, the warriors of the Kwangpungdan are misunderstanding that I did so to protect them.
But I didn't bother to clear up the misunderstanding.
Somehow, the more I tried to clear up the misunderstanding, the more they would misunderstand.
Since it was a barracks within the Martial Alliance camp, there were no separate night watchmen.
We just patrolled the area we were assigned to.
With our group, we could slip out quietly.
Let's go.
They nodded slightly in response to my telepathy.
Our movements were swift.
After running, we arrived at the sword chamber of Hyukgon Seung.
Today, we plan to enter this sword chamber and blow it up.
There is nothing inside except cruel traps.
It's a futile effort.
We know how horribly those who enter here will die, and to just stand by and watch is not something we can do.
Some will say,
“Why don't we push the Black Sword and Heavenly Demon Divine Cult members in first?”
Yes, that is possible.
However, I cannot bear the weight of those lives on my shoulders.
Even though they belong to the Black Sword and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, not all of them are rebellious and bloodthirsty.
I have lived as a villain in both my previous life and this life, but I have seen countless people who are not truly evil.
On the other hand, there were also many people who lived as good people but were not actually good.
So this is the best I can do right now.
Of course, my actions now may change the future, but so what?
The waves of fate began to crash when I started struggling to change my destiny.
What I am doing now is just one of those waves.
And you have already caused and resolved countless waves, haven't you?
Who knows?
Will this help me get my revenge?
If there are any problems, I'll solve them again.
The front of the Blood Sword Hall was guarded by twelve men.
But that wasn't the entrance I was looking for.
In my previous life, I happened to learn
that there was more than one entrance to the Blood Sword Hall.
So we entered through the second, narrower entrance.
But...
- Kui!
Jinryeong's reaction is unusual.